Bought by special interests, detached from real life, obsessed with re-election. Politicians make big promises, deliver little to nothing and keep the game rigged in their favour. But what can we do?

Join political theorist Hélène Landemore in conversation with Philippa Webb, Professor of Public International Law, to discuss her new book, Politics Without Politicians.

With disarming clarity and a deep sense of urgency, Hélène Landemore argues that electoral politics is broken but democracy isn’t. We have just been doing it wrong. Drawing on ancient Athenian practices and contemporary citizens’ assemblies, Landemore champions an alternative approach that is alive, working and growing around the world: civic lotteries that select everyday people to govern, not as career politicians but as temporary stewards of the common good.

When regular citizens come together in this way, they make smarter, fairer, more forward-thinking decisions, often bringing out the best in one another. Witnessing this process firsthand, Landemore has learned that democracy should be like a good party where even the shyest guests feel welcome to speak, listen, and be heard. With sharp analysis and real-world examples, drawing from her experience with deliberative processes in France and elsewhere, Landemore shows us how to move beyond democracy as a spectator sport, embracing it as a shared practice — not just in the voting booth but in shaping the laws and policies that govern our lives.

If you have ever felt powerless, Politics Without Politicians will show you how we can take back democracy.

Speaker biographies

Hélène Landemore is a political theorist and professor of political science at Yale University. She is the author of Open Democracy, an influential book that has shaped global debates about citizen participation and democratic legitimacy. Landemore has worked with governments, NGOs, and reformers around the world, from France and Finland to Chile and Taiwan. Her research has been featured in the New Yorker, Financial Times, and The Nation as well as on the Ezra Klein Show.

Philippa Webb is Professor of Public International Law at the Blavatnik School of Government. She is Co-founder and Director of the Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice. Her research interests span all of Public International Law, with particular expertise in international dispute settlement, human rights, international organizations law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law.